I am not a big fan of cricket but have been interested in watching some of the games in the (Indian Premier League) IPL this year.Twenty 20 cricket is now taking over the world and has helped cricket appeal to a new audience that might not have otherwise been interested in watching the game. Traditionalists of the game may not agree with the format and the way the version of the game is played but overall it is fun filled and highly entertaining. In 2007 the idea for the Indian Premier League was developed and the first tournament took place in April 2008. This year's event is the third and it has generally been a success so far. There are currently 8 teams in total in the IPL and they are as follows:

1)Bangalore Royal Challengers,
2) Chennai Super Kings,
3) Deccan Chargers,
4) Delhi Daredevils,
5) Mumbai Indians,
6) Kolkota Knight Riders,
7) Kings XI Punjab
8) Rajasthan Royals.

Two new teams are set to be added for the next season in 2011 from Pune and Kochi.

Before the first IPL began there was a frantic player auction which saw some of the top names in world cricket being bid upon. These included the likes of $1.5m for Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and $1.35m for Australian Andrew Symonds. Huge sums of money were being traded for players and added to this were some big celebrities who added to the appeal with Bollywood stars such as Shah Rukh Khan owning the Kolkata franchise, and Preity Zinta, co-owning the Kings XI Punjab. As well as the big name stars, there were also a number of local and young Indian players who got their chance to shine on the big stage when otherwise they may not have been given the opportunity to do so.

Unlike traditional cricket there is some entertainment off the field as well with the likes of music, fireworks and dancers on view. The competition this year is currently broadcast on ITV 4 in the UK and is also available to watch for free online on Youtube which makes it highly accessible to a lot of people around the world.

The Indian Premier League has gone from strength to strength in its first few seasons and the world has taken notice. The IPL has even made it to fourth spot of the Forbes list of the world's hottest sporting properties. Cricket wasn't really big business before the IPL but it has changed the shape of the game quite a bit.

Cricket has been played internationally for 165 years . With 104 nations as members of cricket's governing body, it's one of the most popular sports in the world. But before the IPL, professional leagues had never really been run as a business. Most clubs around the world were not run to make big profit and large sums of money but IPL has changed that view. Private franchise ownership combined with the cricket crazy country of India and it's commercial possibilities has really taken the game to a new level.

Whether this is all good for the traditional forms of the game and if it actually requires as much skill and technique as the test format is another debate. What cannot be denied is that it has helped cricket appeal to a wider audience and made it more accessible to people who would otherwise not have been so interested in the game. It has also been a lucrative business and has generated alot of money as well as interest. I enjoy watching some of the games and especially seeing the faster pace of it with big hits and more frequent wickets makes it more exciting and entertaining to watch. Overall I would give it 4/5 stars as it is an exciting and entertaining form of the game and the IPL has been able to use it effectively but with so many matches in quite a short period it can get a bit repetitive at times in terms of its format.